In a city where trauma and violence often shape young lives, Peace For DC, in partnership with the visionary founders and alumni leaders of Pathways 2 Power, are planting seeds of transformation-- starting from within.

Through our school-based Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBIs), we’re teaching DC high school students how trauma affects the brain, and how understanding that connection can unlock healing, resilience, and leadership.

What are CBIs? CBIs are strategies, based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, designed to help individuals understand and change their thoughts and behaviors, ultimately improving emotional regulation and coping mechanisms. Learn more.

In 2025, we launched a pilot at Thurgood Marshall Academy. Students didn’t just learn emotional regulation and stress management, they became Junior Peacemakers, modeling healthy behaviors and leading peer-to-peer peacebuilding efforts.

Testimonial from Alexis at Thurgood Marshall:

"DC's teens, and all teens for that matter, are experiencing ongoing new and old stressors in their daily lives. From navigating the normal ups and downs of relationship dynamics, puberty, and academic challenges to navigating effects from the pandemic, increases in isolation/ depression, and the necessitation of technology, DC's teens today are having to shuffle through a number of stressors on top of possible home-life challenges, gun violence, lack of access to necessary resources, etc.

"CBT training taught the students 1) how to develop an action plan and not be stuck in immobility or a negative thought-action cycle and 2) how to have compassion and accountability for their peers and adult relationships. Now, in addition to the P.E.A.C.E. Circles the students already facilitate, they now also know another actionable skill to mediate not only issues of others but internal issues within themselves. As for myself, learning the streamlined CBT approach taught by Peace For DC has been a mobilizing force urging me to more strongly nurture a truly tenderhearted stance on how I navigate my thinking and, subsequently, my life."

Now, in 2026, we are planning to expand to two other DC schools. With your support, we’ll reach dozens more students, equipping them to:

Understand how trauma impacts thoughts, emotions, and actions
Practice real-time strategies for emotional regulation and decision-making
Lead school-wide efforts to promote peaceful norms and healthy relationships
Break cycles of violence with courage, clarity, and compassion

This isn’t just a curriculum, it’s a movement. A movement where young people become the healers, leaders, and changemakers our city needs.

Peace For DC is proud to partner with the visionary founders and alumni leaders of Pathways 2 Power, whose lived experience, brilliance, and deep commitment to youth empowerment are helping shape this school-based expansion. These leaders were instrumental in launching our pilot at Thurgood Marshall Academy and are now guiding our work at Ballou and Bard DC. Their presence ensures that this campaign is not just about teaching CBIs—it’s about honoring community-rooted leadership, amplifying youth voice, and building a movement led by those closest to the solutions. We are deeply grateful for their partnership, and we celebrate the powerful legacy they bring to this work. Together, we are cultivating a generation of Junior Peacemakers who carry forward the values of healing, justice, and transformation.

Your gift powers this expansion. It funds facilitators' time and student stipends, supports school partnerships, and ensures that every student, especially those most impacted by violence, has access to healing-centered care.

Give today. Because peace starts within.

Pathways 2 Peace Leadership Program

Mind Over Violence